A Little Taste of Sweet
by jmfisfab
Summary: Sweedy. Rated T for drugs, language, and violence. We follow Travis' decent into darkness as he becomes "Sweet Tooth".
1. Chapter 1

"Trick-or-Treat" chimed the young ghouls and ghosts that stood in his doorway.

"Well, given the choice, I say TRICK" he shouted as he slammed shut the door, thus dousing the young children in a bucket of melted chocolate.

moments later there was another knock on the door. Travis sighed as he poured the chocolate back into his wicked trap. He then opened the door, expecting a ghost or zombie, but what he found shocked him.

"Did you do this?" A sassy girl of no more than 16 stood before him, holding one of the ghosts from his previous encounter.

"In my defense, he gave me the choice." Travis chuckled. "No more than a harmless prank." He had no idea why he was defending himself to her, she must have been five or six years younger than him. She was just a kid. So why did she make him feel this way?

"yeah well you're an ass hole" she snorted "you know what they say about guys who hurt children?"

"What?"

"They have a small dick" she snickered.

Despite himself, he couldn't help but smile back at the girl. there was something about her. He just couldn't put his finger on it. He had to find out what was special about her.

"I'm so sorry to have ruined your night like this" he purred, "perhaps you would like to come in, I may have some extra sheets we could use to make a new ghost" What was he doing? Inviting her into his home?

She looked at him with a gleam of curiosity

"Alright, but only because this is Tommy's first real Halloween"

The girl looked around the house, taking everything in. It then hit him that he did not even know her name.

"I'm Travis, by the way." he spoke, hoping she would answer.

"That's nice" She quickly replied, avoiding eye contact. "So who designed your house? someone mental?"

He chuckled at this remark. Surely his house must have seemed insane, everything was twisted in bizarre shapes and sizes, and colored in faded pinks teals and blues.

"Actually it was my design" he said with a hint of pride. I felt my home should embody my…personality.

"Some personality…." She muttered

"Over here, I think I have the perfect sheet" he said leading her down a twisted hall.


	2. Chapter 2

November Second. Travis sat in his large teal chair and grabbed a candy bar from the bowl he kept on the shelf just in arms reach. Whenever he faced a problem the bowl would give him an answer by the candy he grabbed. He felt the wrapper in his hand and looked down.

There staring back at him was once again the easy answer to his easy predicament, what to do with this neighbor girl. How had he not thought of this answer before?

He stuffed the candy in his pocket and strode over to his phone. He dialed the number she had left for him. "Call me if you need someone to talk to" She had said

One ring. What was he doing?

two rings. this was a bad Idea

Three rings. He should just hang up now.

"Hello?" The breath he had been holding for the past few moments released as he tried to figure out what the hell he was doing and what to say.

"Yes, this is Travis" he stuttered

"Sorry I can't hear you" The voice on the other line shouted

"This. Is. Travis." He said with a little more voice

"Sorry, what?"

"THIS IS TRAVIS!" He shouted into the phone

"Hi" the voice sang, "is what I would say if I were here, which I'm not, so leave a message and I may listen to it"

Travis just stood there with his mouth open. He left a message asking her to call him back, and that he wanted to talk. As he looked down at his hand which had found the candy he had just put in his pocket.

A Kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

He sat there in his black and grey three piece suit he always wore. The only hint of color was his pink handkerchief. His black fedora was wrapped with a teal ribbon. He was well build for twenty two, and his smile could make any girl melt to her knees. His finger beat the table in a rhythm of four.

_taptaptaptap_

Just keep calm.

_taptaptaptap_

She'll be here any minute

_taptaptaptap_

breath?

_taptaptaptap_

suck on a peppermint

taptaptaptap

there she was.

Travis took a deep breath. They were only here to talk. He flashed his killer grin and motioned her to sit down

"Glad you could make time" he purred

"I'm sure my professer won't mind me missing Calculus" she teased

"Calculus? That's tough." Travis sympathized. He reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette. He offered her one with a gesture of his arm, and when she grabbed one he watched her twist it between her fingers while he lit up. The small paper paced along her hand. Handing her the lighter he noticed the ease she had lighting it. This was certainty not her first smoke.

"You seem practiced with this." he stated "Ever try anything…better?"

She looked up at him and flashed a coy smile. "That is for me to know, sweetheart, and for you to find out."

They continued with small talk about highschool, recent crimes, and the economy. All of their talk was harmless fun until Travis said

"So how is your family?"

The young woman's previous beaming smile faded, and she glanced at her watch. She mumbled a thank you for lunch and got up to make her exit. Something inside Travis didn't want her to leave. He reached out and encased her small hand in his, and looked her in the eye. AS close to begging as a grown man could get. She let out a sigh.

"Alright," she moans "but let's do something, my leg is falling asleep. Walk around town a bit?" Her smile returns.

"Sounds perfect" He whispered in her ear as he stood to join her, and they left the small coffee shop hand in hand.


	4. Chapter 4

The first frost of the season was like any other. A light breeze blew a leaf off it's tree as it caught in the wind. It twirled ad it became further and further from it's home. Finally resting in an alley where two men were standing. One was noticeably taller than the other. He wore a dark suit distinguished only by some pink and teal. quickly two packets were exchanged between the two and they continued on with their lives, continueing to stay off the radar. Until now.

Travis walked down the street, only to be greeted by a teenage girl with an attitude who appeared to be on her way to school, in her uniform and knee high stockings.

"What'cha got in there Trav?" The girl asked, eyeing the yellow packet in his hand.

"Now that's none of you business right now, is it?" he taunted. "I suppose you will find out after school if you come to my place" he sighed.

"Screw me if I have to spend one more day in that prison!" The girl moaned. "I don't care about my classes today, so how's about you show me what you have?"

Travis grinned and offered his arm. She happily obliged and the two walked down the street towards his home arm in arm and her head resting on his toned Bicep.

The inside of Travis' home had always somewhat frightened the poor girl. She clung closer to Travis as the winding hallway ended at a blue door with pink striped. He pushed it open, and immediately the sweet smell of a green drug wafted through.

"in here" gestured Travis. She walked in with giddy confidence. She had pot before, it was fine. This was nothing out of the ordinary for her. But when Travis pulled the contents of the bag out her breathing became unsteady.

"Let me help you." he offered. He reached over for a long tube looking coil, and he wrapped it around her arm.

The rest of what happened was a blur to the young girl. The house came to life with the help of this fluid. The walls danced with a glittering light and the windows shifted their shape, forming various patterns. Everything was so new and strange. it was as though she could HEAR in colors. She smiled in ecstasy. Her last memory was Travis leading her by the hand to his bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun was high and shining through the blinds. It illuminated the smoke that wafted through the colorful halls of Travis' home. The couple lay sprawled out across a sea of sheets, pillows, and clothes. The young woman woke with a start, a little disgruntled.

"Travis." She whispered. She lightly placed her hand on his toned arm. Woken by the movement, the tall man looked up and smiled towards the breath taking girl beside him. He really did have it all. He had the girl, the house, the drugs, and the life. Nothing could kill this buzz.

"You really are perfect." He sighed.

"Yeah, well it can't last forever I'm afraid. I've cut school for the past month, and my parents are beginning to find my excuses weaker and weaker." She moaned in frustration "Not to mention the smell of smoke is hard to wash out of clothes!" She began locating her clothing and carelessly pulled them back on.

"Oh, Sugar baby, just stay around for one more go." Travis pleaded as he teasingly tugged on her drooping sleeve. The girl let loose a sigh. She couldn't say no to his puppy face. She reluctantly sat back down, and Travis wrapped his arms around her.

"Wait until you see what I got." Travis grins like a five year old who just got the Crayola 120 count box. "I've got the top quality white AND brown sugar." His excitement, and maybe a bit of her own, caused his house guest to giggle softly. Why should anyone take life seriously when they could live like this? Everything was perfect, and nothing could go wrong. Or so they thought.

One minute he was with her giggling on the floor, with enough drugs to kill a horse pumping through his veins. The next he was on the floor biting his tongue to keep from screaming in agony. He clawed at his own face in pain, the salt in his tears mixing with the blood under his nails. The entire room began attacking him in whirl of color, and he could just vaguely make out the girl's figure as she screamed, sending shots of pain through his head.

When he arrived at the hospital his heart had already stopped beating. He was accompanied by the sobbing young woman who insisted she stay with him. She held his hand long after he had passed as she stroked his hair and sang him a lullaby that she sang to her brother when he was small.

_"The twisted dreams and the haunted shadows_  
_There never is just one_  
_They follow you from your darkest nightmare_  
_And block out all the sun_

_They surround you in their shroud of darkness_  
_And take away your mind_  
_Spin you around 'til you lose direction  
You may as well be blind"_

Travis was lying dead on the table. His body had gone cold, and the glow from his eyes faded. He was beyond the help of doctors. But then, a finger moved.

_Taptaptaptap_

Could it be?

_Taptaptaptap_

No. He is gone. She must be imagining it.

_Taptaptaptap_

The grieving woman looked over her shoulder and there he stood as alive as ever. He smiled down at her. Such a large part of her wanted, no, NEEDED, this to be real. So she hung on, and the two were able to leave together as a whole once more. It was too bad nothing would quite be the same again.


	6. Chapter 6

Shoots of green began to peak through the snowy ground. A young woman skipped down the pavement. She bit her lip as she hummed a ditty to herself. As she approached the candy shop she clenched her jaw, and put on her best poker face. Everything was going to go according to Travis's plan.

At that moment with a slight stagger in his walk made his way into the store.

The woman was giddy with glee. If she did this right Travis would surely love her more. She thought of him sitting at his desk staring at his dish of sweets in his deafening silent state he had been in since… his accident.

The man walked by her and her breathing became heavy with excitement. She reached in her pocket for the syringe, careful not to prick herself. This was the man responsible for Travis's condition. He deserved this. He must have known when he sold it to Travis that it was unusual. She waited for him to go into the back. She slowly made her way to join him as she ran her fingers across the rows of sugary treats. She took a breath and plunged the syringe into his neck.

The man woke up groggily. He squinted and looked around as he tried to get a hold of his surroundings. The room was covered in blue plastic. His eyes dilated as he noticed his limbs were firmly chained to the cold metal table he was on.

The woman stood there wearing a medical mask one would see before surgery. She began with a candle. With a single motion of her hand she had it lit in flames. She set the thin metal holder on her prisoner's navel, and it took all her power not to giggle when she heard him moan in pain.

It didn't take long for the boiling hot wax to fill the holder, and begin to seep over the edges as the oozing hot fluid moved across his bare skin. The captive winced in pain, and the woman decided it was time.

She began with his Big toe. With a clean slice it chopped off, and fell into the bucket below. She carefully repeated this for each of his toes. ChopChopChop. She moved her knife up to his neck. From behind his gag she could hear him sobbing.

She suddenly had a moment of doubt, until she remembered Travis. She recalled Travis screaming on the ground in horrid convulsions with nothing but fear in his eyes. She recalled the pain in Travis's face, as he tried to push her away. And she recalled Travis's body becoming still until the only signs of life from him was the sweat dripping down his temples. She recalled how it felt having to watch her love die as she held his hand. There was only one man responsible for his pain. Her head cleared and she plunged her knife into that man.


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm home!" She shouted. Her voice reverberating down the halls of the apartment they now lived in. They sold their house to pay for more drugs. She set the large grocery bags down on the table, and was startled senseless when her lover popped out from behind the corner with a wicked grin. Travis hadn't spoken a word to her in weeks. He did little more than sit at his desk all day, so this sudden behavior caught the woman off guard.

She looked at his bizarre outfit. He wore a suit as usual, but this suit was a bubble gum pink with a teal vest, and cotton candy blue hair.

"Okay, Willy Wonka," the girl teased, "what's with this…change?"

"Oh Sugar Baby, don't you like it?" his words were sticky sweet.

"It's… different." She mumbled.

"Come now, no need for mumbling." He pouted. "You KNOW how I hate mumbling." His voice sounded almost threatening. This was too much for the girl. She couldn't take all these sudden changes. The room began to spin. She had the realization this was not the man she had fallen in love with only a few months ago. Tears began to form in her eyes as he leaned over to kiss her neck.

"Travis, no." She tried to push him away.

"Oh don't call me that, call me..." he paused for a moment with a perplexed expression on his face, "Call me Sweet Tooth." A wicked grin spread across his face as he pushed her against the wall.

Before he knew what was happening the girl had withdrawn her handgun. His eyes grew wide as she pointed it at him and she pulled the trigger. A sharp pain shot through his foot as he cursed every slur he could think of. The girl left running, and didn't look back.


	8. Chapter 8

She didn't know where she was going or what she was doing. All she knew is that she was angry, and alone. How could Travis…no, "Sweet Tooth", do this to her? If it weren't for her he could be dead right now. Not that she cared anymore. She looked at her feet as she walked and thought about the look on his face when she shot his foot. She turned a corner and ran into a young man. She fell and landed in a puddle.

"Oh Miss! Miss, are you okay?" The boy questioned with a worried expression. He extended his hand to help her up. This boy was about her age. She accepted his gesture and stood back up. How long had she been shaking? It had to be below freezing out and she had left her coat in the apartment. The gentleman quickly picked up on this and draped his jacket over her shoulders. She clutched the edges of it closed and she buried her face in it, taking in the warm scent. The lad cleared his throat.

"I'm Dick, by the way, Dick Grayson, and uhm, don't take this the wrong way but you look like you could use a warm beverage." She began to cry in hysterics making the boy worried.

"Oh, no, Miss, I wasn't implying… is there anything… Oh Miss I'm sorry." He took her hands in his own. She sobbed.

"Dick, it's just no one has been this nice to me in a," she sniffled, "In a long time. You're just too kind and I don't deserve this. I should be alone." Dick got a determined look on his face.

"I'm alone at the moment now too," he sighed, "Maybe we could be alone…together? C'mon, I know a diner not too far from here. I'll buy you a hot meal and then if you'd like you can take a shower back at my place." He wrapped his arm around her and walked her over to the small diner where they ate alone together in silence.


	9. Chapter 9

Dick was not used to having houseguests. Especially not girls. ESPECIALLY not pretty ones. The night she arrived was quite a fright from him, he tried his best to keep the manners he was taught, but often he caught himself starring at her. It wasn't the inappropriate type of starring, but she fascinated him. He liked to look at how the ends of her hair lightly curled so that it bounced lightly when she walked, the way she would sometimes part her lips and let loose a sigh. Yes, this is a wonderful creature indeed to have in one's own home.

There were still some things that concerned the young boy, such as when he offered her some of his candy she would always refuse, then go to the bathroom and run the faucet for a couple minutes. Then there was the anger. Sometimes the girl would get pale and start to sweat, and she would spend a week lying on the couch eating chocolate chip cookie dough, and if he offered to cook the dough for her she would scream and throw her pillow at him, then yell at him to give it back.

But the thing that confused Dick most of all was how she made HIM feel. Sometimes at night he would be fast asleep, and then he would hear the door creak and would see her standing in the doorway watching him. The first time this happened he jumped out of bed to help her, only to realize he was in only his boxer shorts. He started to apologize profusely, but she just started giggling, and ran over and hugged him. Being so close to her made him feel so… cozy. Since that night she would appear at random, sometimes with puffy eyes remaining after a cry, and she would quietly slip into the covers with him, nuzzling into his chest, and he would put his arms around her, so she knew she was safe.


End file.
